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Life in Action: Saving a life while enjoying ACL

The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival is known for its music and entertainment, but while you’re enjoying the music, you could also be on your way to saving a life.

As the more than 70,000 music fans fill Zilker Park, each will walk past the Love Hope Strength booth, a group dedicated to battling cancer by registering bone marrow donors.

“When you have a platform with that many people in one space in three days, it’s a great time to get people involved in the community and promote these great organizations,” Lisa Hickey, C3 Presents marketing director of the ACL Music Festival, said.

ACL Cares sheds light on nonprofits asking for money to help make a difference, but Love Strength Hope is not asking for money. They just need a swab.

“You go to a music festival, enjoy great music, enjoy the weather, the city, swab your cheek and you’re saving someone’s life around the world,” James Chippendale, co-founder of Love Hope Strength, said.

Chippendale knows what it likes to be on the receiving end.

Twelve years ago, he was fighting for his life, dying of lukemia. He needed a bone marrow transplant for a chance to survive, but first, he needed to find a donor with a match.

“At the last minute they finally found a donor and he’s from a little village outside of Berlin Germany. He had never met an American, spoken a word of English, been on an Airplane, but he ended up matching me and saving my life,” Chippendale said.

In the last 18 months, they’ve registered 30,000 people which has resulted in 350 potentially life-saving matches.

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We are swabbing tonight at @majestic_ventura_theater with @floggingmollyband @jonsnodgrass @scotthbiram thank you to @schomphonda @schompmini for getting #lhsrover and #saltycamper around America #savinglivesoneconcertatatime #getonthelist #getswabbed ... See MoreSee Less